If the growth of bring-your-own-device (BYOD) was a sign of the smartphone revolution, what is the equivalent for adoption of wearables in the workforce? How about an enterprise-focused developer platform for wearable tech apps — because that’s exactly what Salesforce has introduced today.
The enterprise software giant has unveiled Salesforce Wear, which it claims is “the first initiative for wearable computing in the enterprise,” and the Salesforce Wear Developer Pack, which gives the 1.5 million developers enrolled on its Salesforce platform the tools to build the aforementioned enterprise apps and services.
“Wearables are the next phase of the mobile revolution,” said Daniel Debow, SVP of emerging technologies at Salesforce.
The initiative includes initial support for a range of wearable platforms — including Google’s Android Wear, ARM-based devices, Fitbit, Google Glass, Pebble smartwatches, Philips devices, and Samsung’s Gear smartwatches — and the appeal is much like existing consumer-facing services.
Salesforce says users can keep up with meetings, calls and other organizational needs. More advanced apps might help field agents with their work, assist with specialist tasks, or personalize a customer experience. The company gives the example of a guest at a casino for the latter, but the possibilities are certainly wide-ranging.
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The Salesforce Wear Developer Pack is now generally available and developers who are wanting to learn more can peruse the dedicated website for details.
Headline image via Justin Sullivan / AFP / Getty Images
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